


But Why a Folding Chair?

by NotYoshihide



Series: Adventures in Inaba [3]
Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gen, Happy Memories, Obvious questions, Slice of Life, Unrealized Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 00:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29626389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotYoshihide/pseuds/NotYoshihide
Summary: While taking a break training in the TV World, Naoto asks Kanji and Rise a random question.
Relationships: Kujikawa Rise & Shirogane Naoto, Kujikawa Rise & Tatsumi Kanji, Kujikawa Rise/Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji, Shirogane Naoto & Tatsumi Kanji, Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji
Series: Adventures in Inaba [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177016
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	But Why a Folding Chair?

Rise watched her companions fighting the last of the shadows on the floor. "I think that's the last of them, good job guys!" Rise said as she watched Kanji head butt a shadow that resembled a pro wrestler. The creature burst into a puff of black smoke like all the other shadows.

"Hell yeah!" The muscle-bound teen shouted at the defeat of the muscle-bound shadow. "Who's next?"

"I _said_ that's the last of them, Moronji." Yukiko snorted at Rise's insult and even Yusuke and Yu laughed a bit.

"Hahaha, Moronji, ahaha… cause his name is Kanji… haha and he's a moron… bwahaha." One of Yukiko's laughing fits was a sight to behold. According to Rise's classmates the upperclassmen is something of a school idol at Yasogami High. Not an idol like Rise, of course, but a prim and proper Japanese lady. That her family ran a traditional inn only added to her image.

It was hard to imagine that being true after watching her doubled over like this.

I mean, she'd heard Rise call him this at least a dozen times already. And she'd laughed like this almost as many times, too.

"Oh, ahaha…right," Kanji said, rubbing the back of his head and blushing profusely. "Kinda got caught up in the fight there."

"Don't worry about it, Kanji. But I think it'd be best for you to take a rest now. Switch out with Chie and hang back with Rise, Naoto, and Teddie." Kanji nodded at Yu's order, standing upright and cracking his neck loudly. The boy picked up his folding chair and lightly jogged back to where the others not in the 'active party' stood back and protected Rise.

She was honored Yu decided to leave a few of their teammates behind to cover her; all the more reason to love their leader. But she knew it was also practical. When she was using Himiko to scan enemies and their surroundings the pop idol was essentially helpless. She'd have to stop what she was doing to fend for herself, and even then Himiko was not that well suited for combat. It was just good planning.

Still, the 'support team' usually never ran into any trouble and the inactive party members took the opportunity to rest.

Kanji made his way back to where she stood, giving Chie a high five as they passed. His height meant she had to jump for it, but her powerful legs made it easy for her. Rise dispersed Himiko as Kanji leaned his weapon against the wall and sat down against it.

"You did great out there, Kanji," Rise said, bending her knees and leaning down slightly to pat the delinquent on the head. He brushed her hand away like a child.

"Yeah? Then what was with that Moronji crap?" He asked in his usual indignant away. Rise just laughed and stood back up, kicking one of her feet back and putting on an innocent look she'd perfected as an idol.

"I was just teasing, you're not actually mad, are you?" Kanji just rolled his eyes at her and she returned to standing normally. He never fell for her charms; a by-product of having lived barely down the street from her since they were kids, or so he claimed. It just made her want to try even harder to 'seduce' the boy.

"Whatever," Kanji said. He had his legs spread and his wrists hanging limply on his knees, but suddenly sat up straight and crossed his legs. Rise turned around to see the Detective Prince approaching.

No matter what Rise did, Kanji never even blushed. But all Naoto had to do was be within two meters of the boy and he got tongue-tied and red in the face. It frustrates Rise to no end!

Not that she'd let either of them know, of course.

"Oh, hey there Naoto-kun. Feeling better?" The girl had been quite injured before, a shadow having landed a hit on her that sent her flying. Teddie had been doing his beary best to heal her, and it seemed he had done all he could.

"Yes, thank you for asking, Rise-san. I believe I am back in fighting shape, now." She crouched and sat politely next to Kanji, who straightened up even more than before, if that was possible.

If anything, her two friends were cute together. The way he so obviously had a crush on her and the way she so impossibly was oblivious to it? It was the kind of adorableness she only ever saw in those TV shows she'd always turned down roles for.

"Kanji-kun, there has been something I've been meaning to talk to you about." Rise's eyebrows shot up and she met the equally surprised gaze of Kanji. It wasn't the question itself that alerted the two, but the hesitant way she was asking. It was flighty and a bit awkward. Very different from the confident Detective Prince they knew.

"Uh, yeah N-Naoto. What's up?" Kanji was sitting so straight against the wall Rise thought he'd crack it with his back muscles alone.

"Well… I do not mean to be too forward in asking this, but it has been something I have wanted to ask of you since I officially joined the Investigation Team."

This could be it! Maybe the Detective Prince has finally put all the clues together and is making the first move. If so, seeing her two closest friends becoming a couple right before her eyes would be so wonderful! Although it may make things awkward if she stuck around.

"Oooh, Naoto-kun! Should I give you two a bit of privacy for this?" Rise held a hand up in front of her mouth and took a step back to give them space. But not too far, just in case Naoto was ok with letting her watch the confession.

"Oh, no Rise-san. In fact, if Kanji-kun refused I was planning to ask you instead. Provided Kanji would be comfortable with that."

"Huwah?" Kanji's eyes turned into saucers and went from Naoto to Rise and back at least a dozen times in a single second. Rise in turn blushed a little. She hadn't expected this. Of course, it wasn't the first time a girl had displayed affection to her. Even Risette had her female fans as an idol, after all.

"Ah, perhaps I should ask the both of you. Together. I am sure your close friendship will make it easier to respond to me if you answered as one."

Ok, that was different. A little too different. Naoto was probably not talking about anything romance related at all then. Of course, Rise could come to that conclusion rather quickly. Kanji on the other hand…

"Kanji-kun! Were your injuries worse than we thought? I think I have some medicine on me… or would you prefer I call Teddie over to use his persona…?" Naoto was scrambling through her small satchel, rummaging around the ammunition for her gun for a strip of bandage.

Kanji for his part was just sitting there, stupefied from his own misinterpretation and bleeding from his nose. Rise sighed in annoyance, kicking the big lug in the thigh. "Hey you! Notice your own nose bleeding!" She said, snapping the teenage boy out of his teenage boy thoughts. Before Naoto could waste medical supplies or get Teddie to unnecessarily cast dia on him, Rise took her handkerchief from her pocket and held it to Kanji.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I mean, thanks." Kanji fiddled with the handkerchief, holding it over his nose.

"You're washing that before you give it back to me."

"I know!"

All of this seemed to calm Naoto down because when they both drew their attention back to her she was smiling softly.

"You two really get along well," she said. "I am envious."

"Hah, yeah. We've known each other since we were kids, so you know." Kanji looked up at Rise, still holding her handkerchief to his nose. Remembering what had caused his nosebleed in the first place he quickly looked back at Naoto.

"But like, just cause we're close friends doesn't mean we'd wanna-- ow!" He stopped from another kick to the thigh courtesy of a much more observant Rise.

"Just let her ask her question, Moronji." He stopped talking.

"Oh, yes. I was wondering, Kanji-kun, and you do not need to tell me if you do not want to, but it's bothered me and, rather than not ask and remain ignorant--" This time it was Naoto who got cut off. Just not with a kick to the thigh.

"Oh, just ask already! It's things like this that lead to so many misunderstandings with you two!" Rise stomped her foot down and held her hands at her waists in tiny little fists of frustration.

"Oh! Uh. Excuse me. What I mean to ask is: Kanji-kun, why do you use a folding chair in battle?" Rise deflated from her annoyance and Kanji just deflated. Rise mentally took note. Maybe next time… She'd have to start putting a bit more pushing to help out these two love birds.

A lot more, probably.

"Oh, that's what you wanted to ask me? Huh." Kanji looked over his shoulder at the chair folded against the wall next to him.

"Yu-senpai uses a katana, Yosuke-senpai has his kunai, Teddie has his claws, and Yukiko-senpai is frighteningly adept with her fan. Even Chie-senpai uses different shoes than the ones she wears to walk around outside the TV World. My firearm was a natural choice for me, although I am hesitant to use it too much." Naoto pulled the small revolver from her holster, the sound of the retractable string unspooling reminding everyone that the gun was literally attached to her at the hip.

"So why do you use a folding chair? Maybe it _is_ such a strange question I should have just asked Rise-san from the start?" The detective looked up at the pop idol and the idol couldn't fathom how such an intelligent gaze could hold such stupid communication skills.

Of course, it may have been partly her and Kanji's fault for jumping to conclusions.

"Nah, it ain't a weird question at all. Guess it must seem kinda strange, huh?" Kanji was tentatively looking at the handkerchief, pulling it away from his nose ever so slightly to make sure he had finally stopped bleeding. Satisfied, he held it up to Rise and, just before she reminded him of his promise to wash it, stuffed it into his pocket. Good.

"I mean, no one else is using houseware as a weapon. And the way Yukiko-senpai uses her fan you know it's definitely a weapon. But for me? This chair's been good to me." He picked it up and held it across his lap. Naoto shuffled her seat a bit away so there was enough space between them for the chair. Rise put her knees together and squat down, careful to fold her skirt so Kanji couldn't see up it.

Not that he ever seemed to care.

"I used to hate this thing, actually. See, it's got this short leg, or the screw cap is loose or something. But when you sit on it, it wobbles. That's just annoying, right? When you're sitting in a chair and it keeps moving on ya? Anyways this was the chair my Ma and me used in front of our store. I'd sit with the register while she showed customers fabric and stuff or she'd sit and I'd show off stuff." Kanji shook the metal folding chair with a dumb grin on his face and the thing barely rattled.

"Well, ya'know that whole thing with me and the biker gangs keeping my mom up at night? The night I went out there I was seriously pissed. I was gonna put the hurt on these punks for riding their motorcycles so damn loud! But like, there was a lot of them, ya'know? And before I went outside I was looking for something to help me with. I didn't want to use any of our fabric rods or the stitchin' scissors or nothing. We need those. I didn't think I ought to go out with a knife or nothing, ether. And that's when I saw the chair." Kanji held the chair up by it's side, like it was the sword Excalibur pulled from the stone.

"I thought, hell yeah. I've been meaning to buy Ma a new chair so it ain't so wobbly when we're at the register, and it's not like we'll miss it. So I grabbed the chair and, well, you know." He stopped holding the chair up and blushed. Poor Kanji, embarrassed about how excited he had gotten! Rise couldn't help but giggle.

"Anyways, yeah. I just kinda got used to the thing." He still looked embarrassed, but his smile was full of pride.

"Well. I have to admit, you are certainly adept at wielding that chair in combat," Naoto said, a smile on her lips as well. "I always feel safer knowing you and your chair are between me and the shadows." Naoto pulled the brim of her cap down over her eyes ever so slightly in the way Rise had learned meant she was embarrassed.

The two sat there, both embarrassed, and internally Rise was squealing. These two! She loved them both so much! But she couldn't meddle. Well, she _could_ , but she shouldn't meddle. Not yet, anyways.

What Rise _could_ do was throw her arms around them both and pull then into a little first-year-trio group hug! "See? That wasn't such an awkward question," she declared definitively.

"Any other questions while we're all so close together?" She tried. Maybe one of them would ask the other one… something!

"Actually, just one more question," Naoto began. Rise's grin widened. "When you are guarding, why do you set the chair down and use your arms? Would it not be better to use the chair itself as cover?" Rise's grin un-widened.

Not what she was hoping, but still…

"That's a good point, why _do_ you do that?" Rise asked. Kanji just furrowed his brow and pursed his lips.

"… I could do that…?"

It was the perfect Kanji answer, and Rise just had to laugh. Naoto, too, even if it was much more subdued. Kanji even chuckled at his own foolishness.

"What's this? Kanji's in the embrace of two beautiful babes and he didn't invite _moi_!?" Their group hug was suddenly intruded upon by a very soft, very blue bundle of energy.

"Hey, get off me ya' dumb bear!" Kanji grunted. Now it was just the two of them as Rise pulled Naoto out of Teddie's clutches. Holding Naoto in her arms, the two girls watched Kanji's bear hug. Rise looked down at Naoto, and Naoto looked up at Rise. Then the two burst out into even more laughter.

Yeah, Rise loved her friends.

**Author's Note:**

> I regret not including more bear puns.
> 
> I also ship the Kohai Trio, they're just so cute together. Maybe I'll write more about the three, by for now this is just a cute moment between them.


End file.
